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v LL C v . J ame s D owdell " (2009). 2009 D e cisio n s . P ape r 1080. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2009/1080NOT P RE CE DE NT I AL UN I TED STATES CO UR T OF A PP EALS F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT

N o. 08- 1512 4 T H S T R E E T IN V E S T M E N T S , L L C ; L E W IS A . S C H U L L , Jr.; G R E G O R Y T . H E R B R A N K ; S U S A N M . H E B R A N K ; P ET ER R . CAM ERON; S TUART H. KES S LE R; S USAN L. KES S LE R; R A L P H A R T U S O ; R O B E R T F ID E L ; R IC H A R D L . W A G N E R ; RO BE RT S . HI L L M AN; S ANDR A S . HI L L M AN; M YL E S D. S AM P S ON;

GR E GG L . GOL DS T ON; KI M A. GOL DS T RO N; L AUR E L HI GHL ANDS RA DI OL OGY ON CO L OGY P E NS I ON; AR NOL D N. WAGNE R; J AC KL YN WAGNE R; M AR C A . GOL DB E RG ; J O A N N E G O LD BE RG ; ED W I N A . TH A N ER ; D O RI S TH A N ER ; J O Y T. ED W A RD S;

TERRY L. EVA NS; SALLY A . EVA NS; RO NA LD M CG LAD E; RO NAL D L . CL AWS ON; GAI L T I T US ; J AM E S R. T I T US ; DANI E L W. AM I DON;

W IL L IA M S IT T IN G ; C H R IS T O P H E R C . S H E E D Y ; F AM I LY P ARTNER S HI P LP ; TNG L. P . LL C, tr a d i n g a n d d o i n g b u s i n e s s a s BP I NVES TM ENT P ARTNER S I I , LP ; BER KOW I TZ P I ERC HALS KI I NC; J A C K H . M IL L S T E IN ; A N D R E A B . M IL L S T E IN ; M & S P A R T N E R S L L P ,

A pp el l ants . v. J AM E S DOWDE L L ; F E DE RA L I NS UR ANC E CO M P ANY O n A p p ea l from the U n it ed S tat es D istri ct C o u rt fort he W es t ern D i s t r i ctof Penns y l vani a ( D . C . N o. 06- cv- 00536) D istric t Ju d g e : H o n o ra b le J o yF lo w e rs C o n ti S u b m itted u n d er T h ir d C ir cu itL A R 3 4 . 1 (a)

on February5, 20092 B efor e: R E N D E L L and R O T H , C i r cui tJ udges and PA D O V A *, Seni orD i s t r i ctJ udge ( O pi ni on fi l ed: J ul y2, 2009)

O P I N I O N RO TH , C i r cui tJ udge: 4th St r eetI nves t m ent s L L C appea l s fr om the fi nal or derof the U ni t ed St at es D i s tr i ctC our tfort he W es t ern D i s t r i ctof Penns y l vani a, gr ant i ng s um m aryj udgm entfor Feder al I ns ur ance C om pany . W e exe r ci s e pl enaryr evi ew overa s um m aryj udgm ent g ra n t. E . g. , D ee v. B orou gh of D un m ore , 5 4 9 F . 3 d 2 2 5 , 2 2 9 ( 3 d C i r . 2 0 0 8 ) . We mo r e o v e rv i e w t h e f

a c t s i n a l i g h tmo s tf

a v o r a b l e t o th e n o n mo v a n ta n d a p p l yth e s a me s ta n d a rd th a t g u id e d th e D is tr ic t C o u rt . E . g. , id . F o r th e re a so n s d isc u ss e d b e lo w , w e w ill aff i r m . B eca us e the part i es ar e fa m i l i arw i t h t he fa ct s , w e w i l l des cr i be them onl yas n e c e s s a ry to e x p la in o u r d e c is io n . 4th St r eets ecur ed a j udgm entagai ns tJ ames D ow del l and hi s company , SafeD r i ve T echnol ogi es , I nc. 4t h St r eett hen fi l ed s ui tt o garni s h t he pr ocee ds of a D i r ect or s and O ffi cer s ’ I ns ur ance Pol i cyt hatFeder al had i s s ued t o D ow del l and Safe D r i ve. T he

* H o n o rab le Jo h n R . P ad o v a, S en ior U n it ed S tat es D istri ct Ju d g e f o r th e E astern D i s tr i ctof Penns y l vani a, s i t t i ng bydes i gnat i on.3

D i s tr i ctC our tgr ant ed s um m aryj udgm entforFeder al beca us e D ow del l had nots at i s fi ed the p o li cy ’s rep o rt ing req u ir em en t, a c o n d it ion p rec ed en t t o co v era g e. T h e D istri ct C o u rt had j ur i s di ct i on under28 U . S. C . § 1332. W e have j ur i s di ct i on under28 U . S. C . § 1291. 4th Str eetcl ai m s that the D i stri ctC ou rterr ed fo r tw o reasons. 4th Str eetfi rs t c o n ten d s th a t th e D istric t C o u rt e rre d in h o ld in g th a t th e p o licyre q u ire d th a t D o w d e ll pr ovi de not i ce. W e r ej ectt hi s ar gum entbeca us e the pol i cy ’ s “D ecl ar at i ons ” s ect i on plai nlyprovides that “[a] nyInsur ed shall , as a con dit i on preceden tt o ex erci si ng [his ] r i ght s underanyL i abi l i t yC over age Sec t i on, gi ve t o [Feder al ] w r i t t en not i ce as s oon as pr act i cabl e of a nyC l ai m . ” ( emphasi s om i t t ed) . U nderPenns y l vani a l aw , w hi ch the p a rties a g re e a p p lies h e re , if a p o licy ’s la n g u a g e is c lea r a n d u n a m b ig u o u s, a c o u rt is re q u ir e d to g iv e e f

f e c t to th a t la n g u a g e . P r ogr es s i ve N. I ns . C o. v. Schnec k , 813 A . 2d 8 2 8 , 8 3 1 ( P a . 2 0 0 2 ) . T h e l a n g u a g e c o n f i r m s th a tth i s p o l i c y i s a “ c l a i m s - m a d e ” p o l i c y, w h ic h u n d e r P e n n s y lv a n ia la w , m a k e s n o tic e a c o n d itio n p re c e d e n t to c o v e ra g e . S e e ACE A m . Ins. C o. v. U

nd erw ri t ers atL l oyd

s andC os. , 9 3 9 A . 2 d 9 3 5 , 9 4 0 (P a. S u p er. 20 0 7 ), a ff’d , N o . 4 5 E A P 2 0 0 8 , 2 0 0 9 W L 1 1 7 6 2 6 8 (P a. A p r. 1 4 , 2 0 0 9 ). 4th St r eetar gues , how ever , t hatbeca us e the D i r ect or s and O ffi cer s ’ s ect i on of the pol i cyi s s i l enton t he not i ce i s s ue, the not i ce r equi r ementdoes notappl yt o cl ai m s m ade u n d er tha t secti o n . T h e f ir st pa g e o f th e D ir ec tor an d O ff icers’ sec ti o n stat es, ho w ev er, thati ti s “s ubj ectt o t he D ecl ar at i ons , ” w hi ch cont ai n t he cl ai m s - m ade r equi r ement . T he pol i cyfur therpr ovi des , i n t he D ecl ar at i ons s ect i on, thatthe cl ai m s - m ade r equi r ementM or eover , t he Penns y l vani a Supr eme C our thas r ece nt l yconfi r m ed thatan i ns ur ance 1 c o m p a n yn e e d n o t p ro v e p re ju d ice w h e n d e n y in g c o v e ra g e f o r la c k o f

n o tice in c o n n e c tio n w ith a c la im s -m a d e p o lic y . See AC E A m . I ns . C o. v. U

nder w r i t ers atLl oyds an d C os. , N o. 45 E A P 2008, 2008 W L 1176268 ( Pa. A pr . 14, 2009) ( s um m ar i l yaff i r m i ng Super i orC our tor deraft ergr ant i ng al l ocaturs peci fi cal l yt o addr es s w hetherSuper i or C our terr ed i n concl udi ng t hati ns ur ercoul d denycover age unde rcl ai m s - m ade pol i cyfor la c k o f n o tic e w ith o u t e s ta b lis h in g p re ju d ic e ). 4 ap p li es to “a n yL iabili tyC o v era g e S ec ti o n . ” (e m p h asis o m itted). T h ere fo re, th e p o li cy ’s cl earand unambi guous l anguage r equi r ed D ow del l ’ s w r i t t en not i ce a s a condi t i on p re c e d e n t to c o v e ra g e . 4th St r eetnextas s ert s t hateven i f the pol i cyr equi r ed D ow del l t o pr ovi de not i ce, the D i s tr i ctC our terr ed i n r equi r i ng s t r i ctcompl i ance w i t h t hatr equi r ementi ns t ead of r equi r i ng t hatFeder al s how pr ej udi ce. W e r ej ectthi s ar gum entbeca us e r epor t i ng r equi r ement s i n cl ai m s - m ade pol i ci es ar e s t r i ct l ycons t rued and e nfor ced; i f an i ns ur ed does notgi ve not i ce w i t hi n t he r equi r ed t i m e, “ther e i s s i m pl yno cover age unde rthe pol i cy . ” C i t

y of H ar r is bur g v. I nt ’ lSur pl us Li nes I

ns . C o. , 5 9 6 F . S u p p . 9 5 4 , 9 6 1 ( M . D. P a . 1 9 8 4 ); s ee Piz

z i ni v. A m . I

nt ’ lSpeci al t

y Li nes I ns . C o. , 2 1 0 F . S u p p . 2 d 6 5 8 , 6 6 8 ( E . D. Pa. 2002) ( “Fai l ur e t o compl yw i t h the r epor t i ng pr ovi s i on of a c l ai m s m ade pol i cy p rec lud es c o v era g e.”) (i n terna l qu o tat ion m ark s o m itted). 1 W e conc l ude thatt he D i s t r i ctC our tdi d noterri n gr ant i ng s um m aryj udgm entfor F e d e ra l. W e w ill th u s a f f ir m th e ju d g m e n t o f

th e D is tr ic t C o u rt .